A family is in shock after being informed their loved one died in a crash, only to discover it wasn’t true. Officials initially advised Sheila Nagengast her sister, 44-year-old Denise Owen, was tragically killed, per WABC-TV.
Nagengast said,
“They said, ‘I’m sorry to inform you but your sister has been killed fatally in a car accident.”
The woman noted that Owen was diagnosed with schizophrenia and went through homelessness from time to time. According to a statement acquired by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the NYPD said,
“during the course of our initial investigation, the NYPD misidentified the victim of a fatal vehicle collision.”
While Nagengast was meeting with a lawyer, her other sister called to inform her that Owen was actually alive, surprising her after previously hearing the tragic news.
“She FaceTimed me, and my sister Denise..is standing directly in front of my (other) sister. Alive and well,”
said Nagengast.
Attorney Jonathan D’Agostino told PEOPLE that if authorities had followed standard procedures, the family would have avoided emotional distress. He is now representing the actual accident victim but can’t share more details.
Officials apologized for the grief they
“may have caused.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
